Garment construction



Jan. 24, 1956 Filed March 14, 1955 F. D. TOSCANI ET AL GARMENT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS: FR NCIs D."TOSCANI y NlCHOLRS IP'POL\TI- ATTOP/YEX Jan. 24, 1956 Filed March 14, 1955 F. D. TOSCANI ET AL GARMENT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS: FRHNGI5 D.TOsc.nHl y NICHOLAS lPPOLiTl @nited rates GARMENT CONSTRUCTION Francis D. Toscani, Drexel Hill, and Nicholas lppoliti, Broomal, Pa.

The present invention relates generally to garments that are fitted to the shoulders of the wearer and is concerned particularly with an improved shoulder construction for and methods of manufacturing and altering suit coats, jackets and the like.

The shoulder and sleeve on each side of a garment such as a suit coat are lined with sections of material that are sewed together along the armhole head and along the shoulder line, from the armhole head inwardly toward the collar. Preliminarily to sewing together the several sections of lining material, they are suitably arranged upon the underlying shoulder pad in contact therewith, after which the seams are sewed up with felling stitches that secure together the several sections of lining material and likewise secure the lining material to the shoulder pad.

In the event that the original shoulder padding on either side of such a coat proves to be insufiicient, this padding may be built up in the following manner. The felling stitches that secure together the several sections of lining material and likewise secure the lining material to the shoulder pad are removed. Then the seams aforesaid are opened and the lining material folded back to expose the underlying shoulder pad. Now another shoulder pad is placed over the original shoulder pad and secured thereto with basting stitches. The several sections of lining material are then suitably arranged upon the new shoulder pad in contact therewith, after which the seams are resewed with felling stitches that reunite the several sections of lining material and likewise secure the lining material to the new shoulder pad.

It will be apparent that certain disadvantages are inherent in the shoulder construction described hereinabove. The coat manufacturer engages help who are highly skilled each in one of a number of coat-making operations, in consequence of which any coat-making operation can be effected most skillfully and economically by the coat manufacturer. Therefore, except when for some reason it is not practical, the coat manufacturer delivers to the retailer coats that are complete in every possible detail. Should the retailers customer try on a coat and decide that it fits properly around the shoulders, nothing in the way of completing the shoulder construction remains to be done by the retailer. However, should the customer decide that additional padding is desirable, the shoulder construction must be altered by the retailer in the manner already described. The retailer ordinarily is handicapped by reason of not having in his immediate employ workers who are capable of making the necessary alterations, in consequence of which he must have the alterations made by independent contractors. Even if the retailer does have in his employ such workers, their performance does not compare well with that of the manufacturers employees. The alterations, therefore, in addition to being unduly costly by reason of the necessity for opening the lining and then reclosing it, are a distinct inconvenience and nuisance to the retailer. Having the foregoing in mind, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a shoulder construction for a suit coat, jacket or the like whereby the several sections of lining material are permanently secured together by the coat manufacturer without any substantial, if any, securement of the lining material to the underlying shoulder pads, in consequence of which the shoulder padding installed by the manufacturer can be built up by the retailer as required without any necessity for disturbing the felling stitches that secure together the several sections of lining material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a shoulder construction wherein felt secured to the shoulder pads with basting stitches underlies the lining material seams, the latter being secured together with felling stitches that likewise secure the lining material to the felt, in consequence of which construction of the shoulders entails no coat-making operation that is substantially dilferent' from normal coat-making operations.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a shoulder construction in which the shoulder pads canbe conveniently built up at such a low cost that any reluctance on the part of the retailer to undertake building up the shoulder padding as required is reduced to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that the invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as described in detail hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

hi the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a garment constructed in accordance with and embodying the general principles of the present invention:

Figure l is a view of the inside of a suit coat, jacket or similar garment, in the area adjacent the armhole;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure I;

Figure 3 is the same as Figure l but the lining is raised from the coat body and turned over to expose the shoulder pad, which is ready to receive the supplemental shoulder pad shown; and

Figure 4 is a view illustrating the yoke and forepart lining sections being sewed together along the shoulder line.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the outer cloth of the suit coat includes a coat body it) in which there is formed an armhole ll that has extending therefrom a sleeve 12. The lining of the suit coat includes a yoke section a forepart section 14 and a sleeve section 15'. On the inner side of the outer cloth is a layer of stiffening cloth i6, and located next to the latter is a shoulder pad 17. interposed between the shoulder pad 17 and the lining are a narrow felt strip l3 that underlies a seam at which the yoke section id of the lining is joined to the forepart section thereof along the shoulder line, and a narrow felt strip that underlies a seam at which the yoke section 13 and forepart section 14 of the lining are joined to the sleeve section if) thereof along the armhole head.

The outer cloth coat body it? and sleeve 13 stiffening cloth in and shoulder pad l"? are assembled and permanently secured together in the conventional manner. The coat body it and th sleeve 12 are secured together by a line of suitable stitches 2% that extends all around the armhole ill. The stiffening cloth in and the shoulder pad 17 are secured to the outer cloth by a line of suitable stitches 2i that extends along the armhole head, and the shoulder pad 1'7 is secured to the stiffening cloth 16 by suitable stitches 22.

The shoulder construction of the suit coat is completed when the lining seams at which the yoke section 13 is joined to the forepart section is along the shoulder line and" the yoke section 13 and the forepart section 14 are joined to the sleeve section 15 along the armhole head are secured together with permanent felling stitches designated 23. Preliminarily to this felling operation, however, the felt strips 18 and 19 are suitably positioned upon the shoulder pad 17 and preferablybut not necessarily secured thereto, with basting-stitches designated 24. The felling stitches 23 penetrate the underlying felt strips 18 and 19 and thereby permanently-secure'the lining to the same, but the felt strips 18 and 19am sufiicient in thickness and length to assure that the felling stitches 23 do not penetrate the shoulder pad 17, in consequence of which there is no substantial, if any, securernent' of the lining to the shoulder pad 17.

In accordance with accepted practice, the felling operation is performed after the outer cloth and the lining in the region of the armpit are assembled and permanently secured together in the conventional manner, as by a line of suitable stitches 25'. Thus, except for the presence and positioning of the felt strips 18 and 19 and possibly securement of the same to the shoulder pad 17, this shoulder construction entails no departure from conventional practice, either in the finished shoulder construction or in the method of assembly of the several parts.

Now referring particularly to Figure 3,. to build up the shoulder padding of a suit coat constructed in the manner aforesaid, it is merely necessary to turn the yoke section wrong side out so as to fully expose the shoulder pad 17. It will be understood that, in accordance with conventional practice, the lower marginal portion of the yoke section 13 of the lining is not stitched to the coat body it in consequence of which means is provided through which access is had to the space between the linings and the coat body to insert an additional shoulder pad. it the felt strips 18 and 19 are basted to the shoulder pad 17, these stitches, of course, must be ripped out before the yoke section 13 can be turned over sufficiently to expose the shoulder pad 1'7. The felt strips 18 and 19 remain secured to the lining by the felling stitches 23, which remain undisturbed. A new shoulder pad 26 may now be positioned over the original shoulder pad 17 and basted thereto. Then the yoke section 13 may be restored to its initial right side out condition.

As indicated hereinbefore, the accepted coat-making practice is to finish the coat in the region of the armpit before completing the shoulder construction by felling the lining seams. This felling operation is performed after suitably arranging the lining upon the shoulder pad in contact therewith. It may be desirable to depart from this accepted practice in order to avoid the use of 1 the felt strips 18 and 19. In this event, referring particularly to Figure 4, with the lining seams along the shoulder and all around the armhole unstitchecl, first the shoulder seam felled, starting from the collar and proceeding outwardly toward the armhole head, and then the armhole head seam is felled. During this felling operation, the lining material is separated from the underlying material (including the shoulder pad 37) by the operators fingers inserted between the lining material and the shoulder pad 17, as shown. Then the operators fingers are withdrawn from between the lining material and the shoulder pad 17, and the coat is finished in the regic of the armpit in the normal manner, the operator working entirely from the outer side of the lining material.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention as hereinbefore described and as shown in the accompanying drawings is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may bemade from time to time without departing from the general principles or real spirit of the invention, and accordingly, it is intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a suit coat, jacket or the like, a coat body, a

sleeve extending from an armhole formed in said coat body and seamed thereto, a coat body lining, a sleeve lining, shoulder padding inserted between said coat body and coat body lining adjacent said armhole, said shoulder padding having an edge in registry with the edge of said armhole in the body of the coat, said padding being secured in position by the seam connecting said coat body and sleeve, protective means for said shoulder padding inserted between said shoulderlpadding' and lining, said coat body lining and sleeve liningbeing permanently stitched together along'a line corresponding to said armhole in the coat body, said protective means being disposed upon the inner face ofIsaid lining in overlying relation to said lining seaming in order to protect said shoulder padding from the stitches that close said lining seaming, said stitches being permanent stitches extending entirely through said seamed lining and being free of said overlying shoulder padding so that insertion of additional shoulder padding therebetweenis facilitated, and means provided by said seamed lining'for afifording access to the space between the lower surface of said padding and the inner surface of said seamed lining for inserting the additional shoulder padding.

2. In a suit coat, jacket or the like, a coat body, a sleeve extending from an armhole formedin said coat body and seamed thereto, a coat body lining, a sleeve lining, shoulder padding inserted between said coat body and coat body lining adjacent saidarmhole', said shoulder padding having an edge in registryjwith the edge of said armholein the body of the coat, saidpadding'being secured in position by the seam-connecting said coat body and sleeve, said coat body lining and sleeve lining being permanently stitched together free of said shoulder padding along a line corresponding to said armhole-in the coat body, protectivemeans disposed in overlying relation to said lining seaming between said seamed lining and said shoulder padding to facilitate the permanent seaming of said lining free of said shoulder padding, and

leans provided by said seamed lining for affording access to the space between the lower surface of said padding and the inner surfaceof said seamed lining'for inserting the additional shoulder padding.

3. in a suit coat, jacket or the like as defined in claim 2 wherein the protectivemeans is a ply of felt secured to the shoulder padding by readily removable stitches.

4. In a suit coat, jacket or the'like as defined in claim 2 wherein the shoulder padding-is built up of a plurality of shoulder pads secured to and readily detachable one from the other.

5. In a suit coat, jacket or the like as defined in claim 2 wherein a lower marginal portion of the lining is entirely free of the coat body, whereby an opening is provided which aliords the means for access to the space between the linings and the coat body.

6. in a suit coat, jacket or the like, a lined coat body, a lined sleeve extending from an armhole formed in said lined coat body, shoulder padding between the outer cloth and the lining material of said coat body adjacent said armhole and having a marginal portion extending along the head of said armhole, the outer cloth of said coat body having a seam therein around said armhole head, the marginal portions of said outer cloth beyond said outer cloth seam being both disposed against the inner side of said outer cloth and extended toward the sleeve, the lining material of said coat body having a seam therein around said armhole head, the marginal portions of said lining material beyond. said lining material seam being both disposed between said outer cloth and lining material and also extended downwardly into the sleeve, said outer cloth seam and the marginal portions of said outer cloth beyond said seam being directly over and extending along said marginal shoulder padding portion, said lining material seam and the marginal por- Lions of said lining material beyond said seambeing directly under andextending alongsaidmarginal shoulder padding portion, said outer cloth seam being permanently closed with stitches that penetrate the underlying shoulder padding and permanently secure the latter to the inner face of said outer cloth and against shifting movement, said lining material seam being permanently closed with stitches free of the overlying shoulder padding, means provided by said lining material of the coat body for afiording access to the space between the lower surface of the padding and the inner surface of the coat lining for additional shoulder padding to be positioned under said first mentioned shoulder padding and between said shoulder padding portion and the lining material of said coat, and readily removable stitches detachably securing said shoulder padding to said lining terial to permit positioning of said additional shoulder a padding and securement thereof in position as aforesaid- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,317,373 Giusefli Apr. 27, 1943 2,554,151 Newhouse May 22, 1951 2,586,515 Carvo Feb. 19, 1952 

